


Your Frown Always Gets To Me

by traumschwinge



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angry Kissing, Erik being Erik, M/M, flatmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-15
Updated: 2013-12-15
Packaged: 2018-01-04 17:30:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traumschwinge/pseuds/traumschwinge
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three times Charles sees Erik frown and just once he does something about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Frown Always Gets To Me

Charles has been watching his flat mate read for quite a while now. It doesn't look to him like Erik's really reading, more like he is glaring at his cell phone to come out with its secrets. Or maybe, on a second thought, as if he disapproved of the person who had taught the author to write in the first place. He can't help but wonder what he's reading. It can't be something for class, Erik had called it a night a while ago and given up studying for the night.

Oh, how much would he like to just go over to his flat mate and push that frown out of his face. Charles can almost feel the skin between Erik's eyebrows under his index finger. It would be easy. Okay, Erik would probably frown at him for doing that a second later, but still.

Charles decided that it was a much better idea to just keep on sitting here and stir his tea. He just can't quite take his eyes of Erik. His flat mate sits on their couch almost motionless, cell phone in one hand and glaring down on the small display. He could as well have been watching a movie, if it hadn't been for the twitching of his thumb down on the side buttons every now and then.

A sudden noise takes Charles attention away from Erik's glorious long fingers. He looks up at his flat mate's face. Did he just...? Had Charles just heard Erik sort-of laugh? It had been such a soft and short noise. But it had very much sounded like a suppressed laugh. Erik Lehnsherr didn't laugh, at least in Charles experience. Well, sometimes, when he was looking at Charles, Erik's glance could turn a bit softer, and sometimes, he even smiled—which was a very horrible thing all by itself. How could anyone not be at least a little bit afraid of so many teeth?

Charles takes a sip of tea, then puts the cup down, takes a deep breath and sighs, “Erik, what are you reading?”

Erik looks up from the screen in his palm and blinks at Charles. It takes him a few moments to answer that. “Fiction,” Erik finally mutters. It almost sounds like he doesn't want to tell Charles what it is. Then again, fiction is such a broad field, that answer is as good as none. “Why do you ask?” Erik adds with a frown.

“You looked at your phone like you wanted to kill the author,” Charles states dryly. “Slowly and possibly painfully.”

Erik frowns at him for that. “Why would I?” he murmurs. “I even _like_ that author.”

All Charles does is putting a finger between his own eyebrows.

The frown on Erik's face deepens.

“You were outright glaring,” Charles sighs in exasperation.

“I was not,” Erik shoots back. “Well, maybe I was reading concentrated,” he adds in a murmur a few seconds later.

Charles tries to put the murderous expression Erik had been sporting while reading and concentrated together and failed. But Erik should know so he drops the topic. For now, at least. “Is it that good?” he asks instead, nodding towards the phone.

Erik... pauses for a moment. But it takes him just an instant to get over it and then he nods. “Very,” he mumbles.

This might spark Charles interest. “What is it about?” he asks.

“FBI agents,” Erik replies, raising his phone again to show that he wants to continue reading. Too bad Charles doesn't believe him that at all.

“And...?” he continues asking. “What's the case?”

“Er...” Erik seems to be a bit surprised by that one. “There isn't a case just now. I mean, I just started reading.”

“Your eyes have been glued to the screen for the past half an hour,” Charles remarks.

“It has a slow start,” Erik murmurs. Charles just stares at him. Erik rolls his eyes. “Okay, maybe the case isn't the main part of the story,” he finally admits. “Can I read on now?”

Charles wants to keep on asking really really bad. Especially which kind of fiction about FBI agents doesn't focus on a case. But the way Erik is now staring at the screen of his phone again tells him that the conversation is over. Or at least, Erik thinks it is.

Well, it isn't like Charles has to talk. He empties his cup of tea and puts it into the sink, before he gets to bed. If Erik wanted to keep on reading all night, it was his problem.

…

When Charles gets up the next morning and comes into their shared living room, he finds Erik sleeping on the couch. Apparently, he had stayed up all night to read. He still wears the same clothes as the night before and has just pulled a blanket over him. His cell phone had found its way to the floor. Maybe Erik had dropped it when he'd fallen asleep.

Charles walks around the couch to take a look at Erik's face. He likes Erik's face. Charles would be the last person to deny that his flat mate was anything but handsome. And that wasn't something he just said because he occasionally got to see Erik shirtless. Or in his boxers, while he was thinking in that particular direction. But Charles had always wondered what Erik's face would look like when he was sleeping.

But when he steps around the couch and takes a look at Erik's face, Charles has to bite back a laugh.

Erik is frowning in his sleep. This might just be the cutest or maybe the most disturbing thing Charles could have imagined. As quietly as he could, Charles kneels down next to Erik's face to take a closer look. But not too close a look. Charles likes to look at his flat mate, he doesn't want him to find out about the secret crush Charles has since they'd first met. Being caught staring at Erik's sleeping features would definitely be breaching a line.

Still, Charles raises his hand and extends it. He can't just walk away and let Erik sleep with a frown like this on his face. Carefully, he places his finger on the bridge of his flat mate's nose. It's nice how warm Erik's skin feels. Just like he had imagined it. Slowly, with as little pressure as possible, he strokes the frown away. Then, Charles holds his breath, waiting for any sign that he had woken Erik.

There's no sign of Erik waking up. But, just as Charles gets back to his feet, the frown reappears on Erik's face. Charles can't help but to sigh. He had looked so much better without it.

Disappointed, Charles heads to the kitchen to help himself to breakfast. Maybe, if he's nice, he'll also think of Erik's coffee. Maybe that would finally get rid of this god damn frown.

…

Charles is halfway through his cup of tea, when he hears Erik wake up. Shortly afterward, Erik walks into the kitchen, yawning and scratching the back of his head. Charles can't help himself but admire the others body. The frown is still in place, but that doesn't stop Charles from smiling his brightest smile at Erik.

“I made you coffee,” he says, holding up a steaming mug.

Erik takes the mug with an approving grunt and slumps down on one of the chairs.

Charles watches his flat mate nurse on his coffee for a while. It had taken him a while, but he had eventually noticed that even though Erik was somewhat of a morning person, it was difficult to talk to him before his first coffee. Too bad that against all his hopes, the coffee doesn't help to ease away that frown.

“How long did you stay up reading last night?” Charles asks softly.

Erik shrugs.

“Did you finish reading it?” Charles gives it another try.

Again, Erik shrugs.

“So it was that intense?” Charles ventures on.

Erik grunts. Charles can only guess that this was meant to be approving. Okay, so no luck talking to his flat mate now. And that stupid frown is still in place as well.

Charles really would love to know what he can do about that. It isn't like Erik has never been frowning before. Actually, Erik frowns most of the times Charles sees him but there also have been those rare occasions when he's seen his flat mate laugh and he really, really likes that laugh. He would even like that smile of his, no matter how scary. But the frown... well, today at least, it's bothering Charles a lot.

“Did the book bite you or something?” he sighs before he even has decided whether this is a good thing to say or not.

“What?” Erik's head snaps up from his coffee to instinctively glare at Charles. Thank goodness Charles is used to the glares. Otherwise, he might have flinched, just a little bit.

Charles huffs. “Well, there must be a reason why you're so … so grumpy ever since you started reading,” he shots back at Erik, a little bit louder than intended. “You're even grumpier than usual.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” Charles grumbles.

“I'm not grumpy,” Erik states, pushing his mug away from him and crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“You have been frowning for at least the past twelve hours,” Charles snaps.

“Half of the time, I have been sleeping,” Erik gives back.

“You've even been frowning in your sleep,” Charles says, forcing himself back to be a little calmer. This was a stupid argument.

“How can I frown while I'm asleep,” Erik asks, a puzzled expression replacing the frown for a second. Then, it's back again as if it never had been gone. “You're just making things up because you're in a bad mood.”

“I'm not...” Charles leaps to his feet and crosses the distance between him and Erik before he even knows what he's doing. He grabs Erik by his shirt and holds him in place. He can feel Erik tense, ready to fight back. “Bloody hell, I just wished you'd stop frowning and smile for once,” Charles hisses.

He blames it entirely on his stupid bravado that he then stretches up and smashes his lips against Erik's. Erik goes utterly still at that. For a second, Charles is sure that Erik will shove him away, yell at him and then refuse to ever even so much as look at him. He knows it's a bad idea and thinks about pulling back before Erik can make him.

But then, Erik starts kissing him back. Strong arms wrap around Charles' shoulders and he feels lightheaded and excited as he'd always imagined he would be. Those strong arms pull him closer to Erik, pressing his body against his friend's own lean one. He can't help himself but to moan a little. This is apparently all the invitation Erik needs to shove his tongue into Charles’ mouth. It makes him only moan more.

When they finally pull away from each other, they're both smiling broadly. Like this, even Erik's shark-like smile is a lot less intimidating. Charles presses another kiss on Erik's forehead.

“You have no idea how long I wanted to do that,” Erik groans when he's finally enough breath to do so.

Charles answers him with the brightest smile. “Me too,” he murmurs, resting his head against Erik's shoulders.

They start kissing again, a little less desperate and a lot slower.

“Why haven't we before?” Erik mutters between two kisses.

“I never took you for the type,” Charles admits, blushing slightly.

Erik sighs, putting another kiss on Charles' lips. “Then we better make up for the lost time,” he whispers, his hand gently cupping Charles’ ass.

“Then we better do,” Charles agrees, pulling Erik gently in the direction of his bed room. Looking into his face, Charles can't help but to smile.

“What?” Erik asks. “Is something funny with my face?”

Charles shakes his head, still smiling. “Not at all, darling,” he whispers, leaning up to kiss Erik right between his eyebrows. “I just noticed you stopped frowning.”

Erik huffs at that but now they're both laughing a little, as they kiss again while walking, or rather stumbling into Charles’ bedroom.

If Charles had known all it would take to stop Erik frowning would be a kiss, he had done that a lot sooner.


End file.
